Operation Protective Edge

Operation Protective Edge occured from 8 July to 26 August 2014 when Israel invaded the Gaza Strip in retaliation for the kidnapping and murder of three Israeli teenagers and Hamas rocket attacks against Israeli civilians. The ensuing operation severely weakened Hamas, but both sides claimed victory, with Hamas claiming that it had "repelled" the Israelis from Gaza.

Background
In the aftermath of the November 2012 ceasefire which had ended Operation Pillar of Defense, both Israel and Hamas mostly adhered to the ceasefire terms, although, in 2013, 44 Palestinians and 6 Israelis were killed in rocket strikes. In 2014, however, the violence between the two factions escalated. On 12 June 2014, Hamas kidnapped the Israeli teenagers Eyal Yifrach, Gilad Shaar, and Naftali Fraenkel as they were hitchhiking to their homes, and they were murdered shortly after. Israel responded by cracking down on Hamas in the West Bank, to which Hamas responded with escalated rocket attacks on Israel. Hamas sought to end Israel's blockade of the Gaza Strip, end Israel's offensive, and release Palestinian prisoners. On 7 July 2014, seven Hamas members were killed when the IDF launched an airstrike on a tunnel in Khan Yunis, and Hamas responded by launching 40 rockets towards Israel. The following day, Israel initiated "Operation Protective Edge" to put an end to Hamas' rocket attacks.

Operation
The IDF began the operation by bombarding targets in the Gaza Strip with artillery and airstrikes. From 14 to 17 July, the IDF halted its operation due to a series of ceasefires, but, on 17 July, the IDF sighted 13 Hamas militants emerging from a tunnel and destroyed the tunnel's exit. The Israelis then began a ground offensive against Gaza, entering the populous Shujaiyya neighborhood of Gaza, resulting in heavy fighting. On 25 July, the PIJ military chief Salah Abu Hassanein was killed in an Israeli airstrike. By 26 July, 1,000 Palestinians had been killed during the operation. On 1 August, Israel and Palestine agreed to a 72-hour ceasefire, but it broke down almost immediately after it started after more Palestinian militants emerging from a tunnel attacked IDF soldiers. By 3 August, Israel had destroyed 32 Palestinian tunnels and decided to withdraw from Gaza. In mid-to-late August, several Egyptian-mediated ceasefires were in place, only to break down. On 21 August 2014, an Israeli airstrike on Rafah killed the Hamas leaders Mohammed Abu Shammala, Raed al-Atar, and Mohammed Barhoum. From 22 to 26 August, 700 rockets and shells were fired into Israel, killing 3 more civilians. On 26 August, Israel and Hamas agreed to a final ceasefire. According to Israel and the Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas, Hamas was severely weakened and achieved none of its demands; however, Hamas claimed that Israel had been repelled from Gaza.